Brewery Tour – Page 48 – Beer Search Party

January 20, 2016August 30, 2018

All About Beer Brewery # 2 – Saltwater Brewing

For the second brewery taster tour for January, we head to Florida to “Explore the Depths of Beer” with Saltwater Brewery. And that is not just a catchy logo for this Delray Beach based brewery. They want to make sure that the salt water around them (aka the Atlantic Ocean) is A-OK. They donate to a few ocean charities like Surfrider and the Ocean Foundation.

On to the beers that I would sample first…..

Triple Berry Granola Spiny Tail – sounds like an interesting experiment. Will it taste of granola?
Sea Cow Milk Stout – Always love to try this style and I would love to try the Salted Porter version too.
Twisted Streams Saison – a collaboration with Sailfish Brewing Co. to see how they brew with others
Screamin’ Reels IPA –partially for the name and partially to see their interpretation of this style.
Bone-a-Fied Blonde – been tasting some complex blonde ales of late, how would this stack up.

Though I wish they had a beer called Taffy. Just makes sense to me

January 10, 2016August 30, 2018

All About Beer Brewery # 1 – Smartmouth Brewing

As I was paging through a recent All About Beer magazine, I had the thought that for the months of January and February, I would cherry pick breweries to feature from the pages.

This month will be American breweries and next month, English and we start in Virginia with Smartmouth Brewing Company.
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Founded by Porter Hardy IV this brewery cans their beers in distinctive and wordy labels and these are the beers I would add to my initial taster tray….

RULE G IPA – “Rule G is the railroad industry’s policy against drinking on the job. With tracks running right into the brewery, we spite Rule G daily. Outrageously dry-hopped, this beer has a big hop nose and a dry clean finish that accentuates its citrus and grapefruit undertones. It is a bold beer that can stand up to bold flavors.”

NOTCH 9 DOUBLE IPA – “Notch 9 gets its unusual name from the 8 notch positions on a locomotive’s throttle, with each one delivering progressively more power. Notch 9 ratchets it even higher. It is a double IPA with a citrusy aroma from a crazy amount of dry hops. As it flows over your palate, you’ll sense grapefruit and pine. It washes down with a dry crisp finish. Incredibly smooth and straw in color, it delivers the goods on strength.”

ALTER EGO SAISON – “This brew is a shout-out to the alter ego in each of us, beckoning it out of dormancy. Porter Hardy, IV, brewery president, left his career as an attorney to heed the call of his weekend passion, making beer. Along with some friends who were just as consumed by beer, he established Smartmouth Brewing Company in 2012. Alter Ego, brewed in the farmhouse style of a Belgian Saison, is an effervescent and refreshing beer with fruity notes, a hint of pepper and a dry finish.”

MURPHY’S LAW AMERICAN AMBER – “Murphy’s Law Amber Ale acknowledges the relentless and unexpected obstacles that challenged us at every stage of starting Smartmouth Brewing Co. Incidentally, Murphy is also the name of Porter’s pet boxer. This amber is balanced: the malty essence that comes through with a subtle roastiness is countered just so by hops that keep it smooth.”

COWCATCHER MILK STOUT – “Named after the device on a locomotive that clears the way, Cowcatcher always runs smooth. This milk stout is as black as night with a thick tan head. One whiff and you’ll notice the aromas of rich cocoa and dark-roasted coffee beans. Swish it around your palate to savor its full-body and smooth mouthfeel. It boasts a warm pumpernickel-bready flavor and finishes with a touch of bittersweet chocolate.”

January 8, 2016August 30, 2018

First Look – Iron Triangle

Usually breweries in Los Angeles have a built in happy to visit vibe. I may have higher expectations and knowledge of some more than others but generally as I walk in the door it is easy for me to set that bias aside and just taste the beers.

That was harder for my first trip to Iron Triangle on Industrial Street. The owner had been a little too “forward” with his advances and has caused some negative attention to flow before the taps were even opened.

As I entered the unmarked space just down the street from the famed Little Bear, I saw a hulking dark brown wood bar to the right and a set of gleaming brewing equipment in front of me. Others from the beer media crowd were already there so I quickly perused the list…

…I sampled the first five on the list and across the board they were all well done. Not a lot of bells and whistles, just straight up solid ales. My particular favorites were the barleywine which had a more toffee forward flavor and would pair well with dessert, the pale ale which I found to have a pleasing grapefruit character and the plainly named Iron Triangle Ale which is the lightest of the bunch but had a nice sparkle to it. The dark lager got a share of kudos from those in attendance too.

Nathan Pacetti the guiding force of the brewery was in appreciative form and took time to talk to most everyone in attendance and I got to speak with former Maui Brewing brewer, Darren Moser who seemed glad to be working with brewing boots on the ground.

Right now, they are only occupying part of the eventual full footprint. But they have built in room to grow next door. They open in mid-January.

December 30, 2015August 30, 2018

Holiday Brewery Tour – Figs # 3

To end our month of fig related beers. What with the recently completed holiday that has a song about figgy pudding, which I don’t think has figs in it,* we head out to a daring brewing first then one with a Steadman-esque approach to beer…

Shorts Brewing – Fig Lebowski

“Fig Lebowski is a big bodied Winter Warmer brewed with figs, honey, cinnamon, and orange zest. With a coffee color and a creamy tan lace, sweet scents of plum and molasses rise from this alluring ale. As rich as a liqueur, flavors of dark brown sugar, honey and figs leave a layering of sweetness across the palate with a hint of spice.”

Flying Dog – Fig & Fennel

“Malt beverage brewed with figs, fennel and natural flavors. Pairs with oatmeal raisin cookies. Creamy licorice and brown fruit are in perfect harmony with oats, raisins and cinnamon. No pudding required.”

*According to Wikipedia, figs are one way to make a traditional Figgy Pudding.

December 20, 2015August 30, 2018

Holiday Brewery Tour – Figs # 2

Each month, I focus a spotlight on breweries from a city, region, country but this month, I am throwing a change-up. There are quite a few big, burly beers that are described as having a fig like flavor to them. But oddly enough not a large amount of beers actually have Figs in them.

We head to Texas and Jester King for the next fig taster, Figlet.
“Figlet was brewed in early July of 2014 with Hill Country well water, barley, oats, and hops. It then underwent a long-term fermentation over the course of four months, first in stainless steel and then in bottles, kegs, and casks. As is the case with all our beer, the aromas and flavors are largely created by giving a diverse array of microorganisms, many of which are native to our land in the Texas Hill Country, the ample time they need to work with each other (or against each other!) to create unique characteristics inexorably tied to our land. During the last few weeks of the stainless steel portion of the fermentation, the smoked figs were added to the beer and allowed to referment. During this process, the sugars in the figs were broken down by yeast and bacteria. Through refermentation, the aromas and flavors of the smoked figs were transformed, integrated, and elevated in a way that we believe is greater than the sum of their parts. Figlet is 6.2% alcohol by volume.”

Then on to Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta for Sykophantes, a fig sour.

“In ancient Greece, “showing the fig” was a vulgar hand gesture, and Sykophantes means “one who shows the fig”. Earthy and full of dark fruit flavor from hundreds of pounds of figs and dark candy syrup, but with a sourness that cuts the gentle sweetness, Sykophantes is our fall beer.”

December 10, 2015August 30, 2018

Holiday Brewery Tour – Figs # 1

Now I am not a fan. Wouldn’t eat a raw or cooked fig or know if one is preferable to the other. But I would at least try a fig enhanced beer. So, this month, instead of the normal taster tray from one brewery, I will roll out (over three posts) a fig flavored taster tray from past and present.

We start, appropriately enough with Figueroa Mountain and their 4th Anniversary beer that is brewed in the style of an Abbey Quad. The base beer was then aged in oak barrels with figs. The finished beer will bear dark fruit aromas and caramel notes with yeast spiciness.

Beer # 2 is 2Xmas from New York’s Southern Tier. This version is a winter warmer with four varieties of malts plus orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger plus the figs giving it a spice cake or mulled wine flavor profile.

That’s the start of Fig-cember tasting tray.
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December 8, 2015August 30, 2018

First Look – Arts District Brewing

The interwebs started leaking out news late Saturday night, and by Sunday morning it was official that Arts District Brewing would be open for business in the now traditional “Soft open” manner.

With Brian Lenzo and Devon Randall as the beer focused duo of the project, my expectations were high. As I walked in and looked around the space, my first thought was that it looked a bit unfinished. I stopped myself and repeated the mantra that as long as the beer is pouring and good, the warehousechic would just melt away.

And as long as I hewed to the hoppy, the beers were very good. The Traction IPA had a strong orange juicy taste and the Kablamo Rye IPA which burst with spice were delicious. Spot on and brightly hoppy and distinctive, not a muddle of bitterness that passes as IPA. Unfortunately, the supporting cast of beers did not impress much. The Whammy Wheat hit the wheat note solidly but was too light and a bit spritzy to me. The Mateo Golden Ale was a little potpourri and soapy. Lastly, I tried the Spirited Saison which, in a blind taste test, I would have pegged as a Hefeweizen and not a Belgian style.

It is cool to walk in and see the brewing tanks below to the right and the finishing tanks in the middle of the rectangle bar. And I really like the outdoor patio which will soon have its own little bar which will have the full range of brews.

I will have to go back for a darker beer tasting to get the oatmeal stout as well as the Porter Rico which I overheard as a favorite on more than one occasion. After Sassy and Return of Sassy brewed in collaboration with Three Weavers and with the Pizza Port pedigree, I expected three pointers and slam dunks not free throws. More reviews to come.

November 29, 2015August 30, 2018

Canadian Brewery # 3 – Blindman Brewing

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Lacombe (ravine) in Alberta is the home to our last new Canadian brewery tour, Blindman Brewing.

Who have helpfully labeled all of their beers thusly:
batch 010 2015-november-21 longshadows ipa
batch 009 2015-november-7 blindman river session ale
batch 008 2015-october-30 to-be-named imperial stout
batch 007 2015-october-23 saison lacombe: automne
batch 006 2015-october-17 robust porter
batch 005 2015-october-9 longshadows ipa
batch 004 2015-october-8 blindman river session ale
batch 003 2015-september-17 blindman river session ale
batch 002 2015-september-14 saison lacombe: automne
batch 001 2015-september-13 blindman river session ale

When you are small you can add this much detail to your beer releases and I think it is super cool for this brewery that if Twitter is to be believed, opened this very month.

November 20, 2015August 30, 2018

Canadian Brewery # 2 – Twin Sails Brewing

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I could not point out Port Moody on a map if I had to save my life but that is where Twin Sails Brewing has set up shop under the leadership of twin brothers Clay and Cody Allmin, who have been home brewing for more than three years.

Out of the gate and with a new head brewer on board they have started with a line-up that consists of a hefeweizen, a marzen, a pilsner and a roggenweizen like a good like German brewery except in Canada.

Considering that the town is also home to Yellow Dog Brewing and Moody Ales, this might just be a destination all by itself.

November 12, 2015August 30, 2018

Greenbar Distillery

Last Sunday, beer buddy Richard and I went as far south as the 10 freeway in DTLA to visit the Greenbar Distillery and take their tour of the facility.

This is the only distillery in Los Angeles and the rules governing their tasting room are archaic, at best. You can buy a bottle of rotgut on any corner in this town with no issue but a tasting room at the actual distillery can only sell bottles if you sign that you are taking it out of state as a gift and not opening it in the State of California. Which is of course completely unenforceable. They also have to carefully monitor the amount of tasting room pours.

That stupidity out of the way, the tour at Greenbar is well done. The guides have the patter down cold but it isn’t just rote memorization. There appears to be a genuine care taken in all aspects of the process and a desire to be innovators and not just imitators. And plenty of information is delivered in the hour long tour.

Their procedure for creating whiskey is time consuming and out of the ordinary (using a tea bag of sorts to lower a melange of smoked woods into their barrels) as is their devotion to using spices, fruits and vegetables that are organic in their other spirits. And they have an extensive line-up from vodkas, to rums to bitters and liqueurs.

My favorite was the brownish dusty gin under the Tru brand. It was bright and really featured a citrusy botanical mix. The spiced rum was also quite well done though not subtle by and stretch and their first attempt at whiskey was unique. It packed heat aplenty but also really brought the grain forward in a way I have not tasted in other whiskies.

On the downside, the tequila seemed abrasive and non-complex for a Reposado and the Grand Poppy bitter liqueur was overly floral with a wicked vegetal bitter kick that had me looking for water.

The tour is fairly priced at $12 and allows for a second tasting to try the full spectrum of products plus a 20% store discount.

After the tour, I wanted to hit Mohawk Bend to try a gin and tonic and see how it tasted.